Kitten Kaboodles
by Ezarine Bloom
Summary: CU.shortstory.postNaraku As a result of a strange curse placed upon Kagome, she finds herself under the guard of Lord Sesshoumaru and as the pet of young Rin. prev PN: Adaire. -EDITED CHAPTER 2!
1. Prologue

Title: Kitten Kaboodles

Rating: T

Genre: Drama

Tagline: Rin finds a pretty kitty.

Summary: As Kagome climbs out of the Bone Eater's Well, a mysterious spell is cast upon her, but the castor is unknown. By the spell's powers, Kagome gets turned into a blue-eyed black kitten. Rin happens to wander into the well's clearing, and returns to her Lord, asking to keep the cat. What will happen when the spell's conditions are discovered?

Let the adventure begin.

* * *

Kitten Kaboodles  


**Prologue**

The Daughters of Time were not at all happy. They were tired of watching over the Grand Time Keeper, and making sure it still functioned properly. Future was being a petulant child and stomping her feet in order to spitefully ruin her silk slippers.

"Stop it, Future!" shouted Past as she lounged on a settee. "Mother Nature would not approve."

From across the room, at a writing table, another girl spoke. "You know she doesn't care. She's the youngest of us, after all."

"Shut up, you two!" growled Future.

"Hush, yourself, brat. Maybe the Fates and Destiny can keep us company for the rest of today. Mother Nature usually agrees."

Future stilled her frantic movements and all three contemplated. Surely their Mother would not deny them to see family?

Thankfully, at that very moment, Mother Nature walked into the grand chamber, smiling at each of her daughters.

"Mother!" they greeted in unison.

"Good morning, girls."

"May our cousins visit, Mother?" Future blurted suddenly before Past or Present could ease into the conversation.

"The Fates and Destiny?" she paused as Present and Past nodded. "Of course," the older woman replied airily. "On two conditions..." Future gulped and shifted her eyes from her Mother as the older woman continued on. "No trouble, or mischief-making; two, do not convince Atropos to kill any beings, and especially do not meddle with Lachesis to ruin one's life. Ah, and another condition: do not lock Clotho in the cupboard again."

The three girls recognized a threat when they heard one.

"Yes, mother."

xox

"Destiny! Oh, what a pretty dress you have on! Did your Mother Heavens make it for you?" Present called out when all four of the Daughters' cousins arrived.

The little girl's cheeks flushed and she hid behind her long bangs. "Momma didn't make it for me. She got it from a human French merchant. It is made of the earthly materials called silk and gold. See," the girl pointed to several bright yellow clasps, "this is gold."

"Wow," Atropos whispered in awe.

"Okay girls! Let us do something fun now! Like the human game which Future told us about; 'truth or dare.' "

They all agreed and played a few rounds, causing disarray in the once-tidy common room. When it came to be young Destiny's turn, she chose 'dare.'

Future hissed happily. "I dare you... to mess up America's – no, no! – um, Japan's... history! You know, since we can just change it back to the original outcome, yes, girls?" She waited for all of them to agree.

"I don't know about this, cousin. Won't Auntie Nature be mad at us?"

Lachesis sneered, still upset about her last dare as well as truth, and the truth before that. "Grow a backbone Destiny. Auntie Nature's not here, and if she finds out, we can just put the blame on Future; she gave you the dare, after all." The others nodded in silent agreement.

"Fine."

xox

_This is a complete disaster! _Past thought as she looked into the large ornate mirror in their home's royal room. The faces of the younger girls all expressed likened horror at the situation.

"What do we do?" Future wailed. "The girl just-! She's a-! Mother's going to kill us! Well... we can't be killed, technically," she paused to think, "but still!"

"Shut up, Future," Clotho snapped.

"Come on, girls, we have to clean up the common room or Mother will prohibit our fun for the next millenia," Past ordered, filing the girls out of the room. "Let's just pretend it didn't happen. I don't think anything too bad will result. Maybe the spell will wear off..."

"Maybe."

* * *

**Author's Note: **Call me crazy, but I'm starting a new story. This! -is not AU, thank God. And, if anyone thinks they should insult my knowledge of the English AND/OR any Asian language, you will incite my wrath, and I will hunt you down. Heh. 

I do know that "Kaboodles" spelled wrong; it should be "caboodle(s)." But the fact that I love things that just... flow, kind of got in the way.

"The whole kit and caboodle!"

Ha-ha.

_Please leave me a review; and be freakin' **honest**!_


	2. i: Who Wants to Pet the Pretty Kitty?

Title: Kitten Kaboodles

Rating: T

Genre: Drama

Tagline: Rin finds a pretty kitty.

Summary: As Kagome climbs out of the Bone Eater's Well, a mysterious spell is cast upon her, but the castor is unknown. By the spell's powers, Kagome gets turned into a blue-eyed black kitten. Rin happens to wander into the well's clearing, and returns to her Lord, asking to keep the cat. What will happen when the spell's conditions are discovered?

Let the adventure begin.

* * *

**Chapter One  
****Who Wants To Pet the Pretty Kitty?**

Kagome Higurashi, age nineteen, smiled slightly as the aurora lights swirled around her body giving off the feeling of pure untainted magic. Everything was peaceful now that Naraku had been defeated, though it was not for lack of a great trade off.

Kikyou had given the remaining power in her undead body to assist Kagome in purifying Naraku while Inuyasha used his Wind Scar promptly followed by the Bakuryuuha. The effects had been explosive. _Literally_, she thought wryly. Kouga, who had been fighting Kagura, was blown back in the blast while the wind demoness had tried to hide behind a large tree.

Hakudoushi and Entei had been purified the instant the holy powers broke through the barrier, the demon horse's cries echoing through the ravaged battlefield. Kanna's mirror shattered and glass rained down on her white clad figure as her shining black eyes faded to a dull charcoal. The only items left as evidenced of Kagura's existence were three green beads from one of her earrings.

Oddly enough, though their purifying power had attempted to simultaneously incinerate Lord Sesshoumaru, Tenseiga had formed a suitable barrier around him. Even more strange was that Tetsusaiga was also able to form protection around Inuyasha as the energy pushed him back several feet. Kouga had not been lucky; as he was thrown several feet back and into the air, he was instantaneously purified. Luckily Miroku had seen this and was able to form a purity barrier to protect Shippou and Kilala.

The two holy energies had clashed and Kikyou's and Kagome's purification seemed to recognize that the beings within were not to be harmed, before receding.

That had been the final battle. Sesshoumaru, Inuyasha, Sango, Miroku, Shippou, Kilala, Kikyou and herself had all been spared, just fleetingly. _I'm still sorry, Kouga_, Kagome thought as her feet pushed into the Bone Eater Well's walls, allowing her to climb.

Kouga had done so much for her in the last year. After many self-revelations, Kagome had finally felt she fully understood herself and her place in the world. She came to recognize that the love Inuyasha still held for Kikyou would not fade, and that though she was truly in love with the half-demon, a relationship was never meant to be.

Kouga had comforted her, had given up his two remaining jewel shards in order to better the good side's chances of winning. He had decided to travel with them after the final face-off with Hakudoushi and Entei, had protected Shippou from Inuyasha's wrath, and watched over their troupe when Inuyasha went off into the forest. _In order to see Kikyou,_ she ran over every similar memory.

Reaching the top of the old wooden well, the young priestess of the future breathed in the clean air of the forest clearing. Obviously it had just rained no more than a day ago, as the grass was shining with rainwater and the trees glistened in the light of the sun.

It had been little over four months ago that the final battle happened. Kagome and Sango had stayed for an hour at the site to pray for Kouga's soul to pass peacefully on, and as Sango stepped back to allow Kagome time to herself, something strange had occurred. Her body had glowed a purplish-pink – similar to that of the purified and completed Shikon Jewel – and a ripple of energy was released into the ground and air. In an instant, the barren land of their fight was restored to short blades of new, bright green grass. Kouga's soul now rested in peace and the land was restored.

A sudden disturbance in the air stopped Kagome's thoughts from going any further into her memories. There was a really strong smell of strawberries and garlic, oddly enough, and all sounds in the forest were non-existent. The young woman shivered, clutching her newer thick leather bag in her nimble fingers. Something was wrong, right where she stood, but was too afraid that moving would cause a greater problem.

Loud crackling noises made Kagome look up into the quickly darkening sky. The clouds were forming a murky green spiral and it appeared to be getting closer to her. Her eyes widened suddenly, as it dawned on her; the green light was coming down toward her. The smell of strawberries and garlic got stronger as the light approached.

Before she could run, she was hit, slamming her body into the ground with the force of pure power. All air was knocked from her lungs with the impact, barely allowing Kagome to scream feebly as the light touched her skin. She felt a burning sensation, as if the power was not only eating her flesh away, but also healing her like a cooling salve would feel to a fire burn.

Not moments later, the pain receded, and she only felt inky darkness surround her person. The sky cleared within milliseconds and noises returned to the forest around the clearing, with the smells of garlic and strawberries fading instantly.

xox

Not but five minutes away a small traveling group of four beings headed leisurely toward the clearing. It was lead by Lord Sesshoumaru, demon lord of the West, and followed by a two-headed dragon, a hyperactive human child and a toad demon. The regal demon lord cast his eyes onto the human child as she ran between a set of trees and then moments later, came back through carrying a small purple flower.

She smiled brightly as she passed it from her delicate hands into his larger and deadly ones.

"Lord Sesshoumaru, isn't this a pretty flower? I found it in a whole bush! Do you know its name, milord?" the girl questioned.

"Be quiet, Rin! Lord Sesshoumaru can not be bothered by your pointless questions!" the toad demon shouted, brandishing his Staff of Heads threateningly.

The dog demon turned an eye down at his retainer, and spoke. "Jaken, silence."

Rin giggled and ran up ahead when the purple flowers' bush came into view, deftly plucking three more. "Ah-Un! I got flowers for you! And Jaken too!"

"No more flowers, Rin! We do not need them!" Jaken berated the human girl.

"Silly Jaken, everyone needs flowers!" And she continued to run around right out of sight to gather a variety of colours.

None noticed when the demon lord stiffened, sniffed the air, and looked into the sky. They still did not notice when the sky darkened for no more than two seconds blended with a green light, a pulsing spreading from an epicenter ahead, and then fade away to the pure blue sky of the Feudal Era. _How strange_, he thought briefly._ It spread from the upcoming clearing._

Rin raced through the break in the line of trees, and into the middle of the clearing. She was preparing to race around the Bone Eater's Well, when a black blob surrounded by dark fabric in the bright grass caught her eyes. Near the blob was a pack of sorts made of a thick brown fabric. Rin looked back to the black thing and scooted closer, shortly discovering four tiny limbs and that the black was fur.

"Milord, I found a kitty! And she looks hurt!" the little girl called back the way she had come, knowing the demon lord could hear and was listening.

Sesshoumaru knew what was coming. A poor innocent creature, helpless, and a young cat nonetheless; he had the irrepressibly knowing thought that she would ask to keep it and take care of it back at the Western Palace.

"Lord Sesshoumaru, please, can I... can I keep her? She's so young and..." Rin trailed off, stifling a sniffle and sob. Her eyes were already pooling with tears in an attempt to soften her lord, which – Sesshoumaru would not admit – was working.

The creature was lying almost limp in his ward's thin arms, but occasionally gave off small mewls of protest. He tensed when he heard its heartbeat speed up, and watched as its eyes open, showing off a bright blue-grey. As it shifted, batting a furry paw in the air, Sesshoumaru also felt Rin give off a sense of surprise and happiness. She shifted the cat to hold it up to her face and the tiny cat blinked twice mewling louder.

His ward giggled, smiling, and brought the cat back to her chest to cuddle it in her arms once more. The demon lord sighed inaudibly. _It is no use any more. Rin now gets what she wants._

"Yes, Rin, but you will be solely responsible for her. Do not kill her in the process. Come, we must leave now." Sesshoumaru hoped that Rin would listen without complaint. If they were to leave immediately, their group would reach the palace in a day.

"Okay, Lord Sesshoumaru! Jaken, we can play with the pretty kitty when we rest!"

"Rin, I do _not_ play with _cats_!" Jaken screeched.

xox

There was a girl in front of her, who looked very familiar. And nearby she could sense were three beings, though she could not see them. _Where am I? Is that... Rin?_ the tiny being thought sluggishly. She yawned, automatically closing both eyes, and opened one to now see a vastness of pale blue with white puffy-looking wisps intermixed. _Sky? Am I on my back?_

"Oh what a pretty kitty she is, isn't she Lord Sesshoumaru?" a voice asked from somewhere nearby.

A soft rumbling escaped the creature's throat as she stared up into the vast blue, listening to the young voice. _Lord Sesshoumaru...? He's here? _As a warm object began methodically stroking what the animal thought to be fur, the voice spoke again.

"Look, I'm petting the kitty, milord!" The warm object came into contact with her fur again. When a rumbling shook through her body, something large blocked the bright expanse of light blue. "She's purring, too. You are the cutest kitty."

_Purring? Am _I _the one purring? Oh, no! What happened?_

"I see, Rin. She is a _pretty kitty_," a voice in a vastly different timbre spoke. She immediately stopped the rumbling in her chest, trying to twist in order to look for the source of the voice.

"No, now she stopped purring..." On either side of her, two warm objects held her up, coming face to face with the girl once again. "Please purr, Miss Kitty," the words poured from the lips of the little girl layered in bright clothing, and the creature realized that the two warm objects suspending her in the air were connected to the being in front of her.

"Come along now, Rin."

The girl – _Rin!_ the creature thought – cradled her once more, and trailed silently after the being who she sincerely prayed was not the demon lord of the West.

xox

Now Rin had shifted the tiny cat in her arms to a new position, upright and facing away from her body, to look out at the passing landscape. Everything was beautiful at this time of year; early summer with plant life and animals abundant throughout. Her lord was ahead, keeping a steady pace. Just through a break in the trees, a large formidable structure could be seen.

Passing the last line of trees before the clearing, the group now consisting of five members came face to wall with what was easily identified as the House of the Royal Family of the Western Lands.

It appeared to still be in perfect condition, though it had obviously seen many years of use. The outside engawa was long covering more than one hundred feet across, and layering down into steps and a stone-laid pathway to where they stood. Quite far into the other side of the engawa, two large doors stood with sentinels on either side. The outer walls of the building were a dark and very clearly thick wood to hold off any intruders.

"Isashi-san, Kokomo-kun; Rin-chan is back with milord, and Ah-Un, and Jaken, and a kitty!" the little human called out, much to the displeasure of the demons with sensitive hearing.

The two guards straightened themselves further before bowing at the waist and simultaneously crossing their speared swords to temporarily blockade the door. When they looked up and resumed their posts, the thick doors were slid on the tracks to allow passage.

"Kokomo, watch Rin and wait for the next guard rounds. When they arrive, _play_ with Rin. Isashi, come with me. We must talk." With that said, Sesshoumaru strode through the open doors and into a large waiting room.

On the left wall was another set of lighter fusuma, leading out onto another engawa, which –by turning left – would lead them to a secluded and heavily warded room. The two demons headed to the private room, intent on the upcoming and inevitable discussion.

Now inside, Isashi shut the fusuma, waiting for his lord to speak. The older dog demon turned away and sat a low table covered in stacks of parchment and scrolls. Despite the failed attempts at organization, there were clearly ink stains on the wooden surface. Sesshoumaru did not bother to look up, opting instead to pick up a brush and going through a fairly large stack of paper.

The other demon waited silently, knowing after many years of service, that when his lord had gathered the strands of thought, he would speak. It came sooner than he expected.

"Sit, Isashi."

Doing as he was told, Isashi lowered himself to a cushion directly across from the Lord and placed his weapon horizontally across his knees. Then fluidly, he declined his head.

"Did you sense it?"

"Yes, milord," he was careful to choose his words. After all, this regarded the human ward, Rin.

"You may speak as you please at the moment, Isashi."

Looking up into the cold golden eyes of his master, the guard felt all of his muscles tense. He knew that no matter what his lord said, if anything were to have a negative connotation, Isashi would die in cold blood labeled as a traitor.

"If... the being has such a strange aura, why did you allow it into the Palace, milord? It might not be safe to leave -" Isashi tried to impress another aspect of the situation but he was brutally cut off.

"Silence! You would question my judgment; my ability to foresee the safety of Rin?" Sesshoumaru hissed as silence quickly settled into the room's atmosphere.

He had to bow once more, this time his forehead touching the tatami flooring. "Of course not, milord. I am merely curious as to your decision. My apologies; forgive this humble guard."

"You are forgiven, for now. I will deign to give you an answer, I suppose." The condescending look in the Western Lord's eyes made a chilling sensation creep through the other demon's blood. "The aura of that cat is familiar to me. It matters not though. What does, is that while the primary interaction between the feline and Rin took place near the Bone Eater's Well, I could feel strong emotions coming from the creature - which is quite uncommon for a cat, especially one so young."

When the dog demon did not speak any more of the subject, Isashi figured it would be acceptable to speak. "Do you... wish for me to keep an eye on the creature?" He was clearly hesitant; this conversation was getting increasingly tense as time passed.

"Yes, and you will guard Rin in case the creature attacks her. Alert me to any strange behaviour of it."

A minute or two elapsed in which Sesshoumaru went back to working on the papers in front of him. Isashi had bowed his head once more, still, and waiting silently for his next directions.

"You are dismissed now," the regal demon spoke, not even chancing a glance up.

Silently and without complaint, the guard slipped out of the room, closing the door swiftly behind him. Only then did the demon lord take time to reflect on the conversation, losing himself to the possibilities. _Such a mystery_ he thought of the appearance of the creature.

He had known from the moment he saw it, that the cat was not entirely what it seemed. Its aura, and life force, radiated a strange power; one which was quite familiar to him; the call of magic. Its scent held no fear whatsoever, which was his first clue. All creatures instinctively recognized the power of a greater being than their own, and usually cowered in fear, but not this one. Its scent held only a great amount of confusion, with underlying currents of worry and apprehension.

Sesshoumaru understood his demon guard's hesitancy at allowing the strange cat onto the premises, but it would be Rin's pet for the time being. The scent of bitterness and resentment lingered fleetingly after the Indian cobra demon, when he had cut the sergeant off while speaking. Nothing made his soldiers more angered than a casual dismissal of intelligent strategic thoughts.

Turning back to thoughts of Rin, he halted in picking his brush up again. _Perhaps it was not wise... but if this cat turned out to be someone not in hostile standing, it would be a grave parting, and Rin would be greatly upset._ As Sesshoumaru shook his head to dispel the doubt, silver bangs fluttered against the blue crescent moon on his forehead. It was utterly useless; it was too late. Once his young human ward had found the cat, their fates were sealed to a hallway of numerous new possibilities.

With that, the demon lord pressed the bristles of the brush to the ink plate, intent on getting some work done. After all, he had to have this report done by the full moon, and that just happened to be in two days.

xox

"Oh, Buddha, do you think Mother will... you know... exile us to..." came the hesitant voice of a youthful looking being swathed in silk.

"With the Amazonian Princesses? Well, our Mother would, but yours just bought you another silk dress from those Roman humans this time. You have nothing to worry about at all, Destiny," a voice from the darkest corner of the room sneered.

"Be quiet, Future."

One of the seven girls went to stand directly in the center of the circular bedroom, one hand on her chin and the other resting on her hip. "Can turning her into a cat really do a lot of damage to the world?"

"Maybe we should tell our Mothers. They can fix anything; after all, they are the highest of all deities," Lachesis pressed, determined not to have the situation escalate any further.

"You must be kidding! The Grand Feast is two days away! On the humans' full moon! It is the highlight of the deities and gods. Mother Nature would slaughter us..."

"Not if Mother Heavens gets to us first," Past muttered.

"This is getting us nowhere! The girl is protected by that dog demon and little girl, living at a Japanese palace, and we're worried?" Clotho protested. "This is a joke! Let's just wait until after the Feast, and then see how she's doing. We can slip away while all of the Council is meeting with the deities and gods; especially since, though we're higher than the gods, we are technically younger."

"You're so smart, Clotho," whispered Atropos. "It's a good plan. Should we follow through?"

All of the girls waited in silence, weighing the proponents and the consequences of the situation. None had the courage to tell the others their opinion, and so, in the next instant, they came to an agreement.

"Yes."

xox

"Master Jaken, Miss Kitty wants you to play with us!" came Rin's unmistakable voice as her small feet pounded on the engawas, turning corners sharply and ducking into rooms in order to find the toad demon.

"Leave this poor, humble servant alone, Rin! Go play with Kokomo or one of the maids, but _leave me alone!_" Jaken hollered from his hiding spot in a distant corridor closet holding three futon mattresses.

He heard the child's laughter, the horrendously loud thumps as she continued her hunt, and very almost indiscernible meows from the cat. Those two creatures just might be the death of him, Jaken vaguely thought as he crawled from his hiding spot. Absentmindedly, the toad demon realized the hallways had grown quieter, as he moved deeper into the house.

"Rin? Rin, where are you?"

Moving toward the Royal Gardens, the short demon twisted about looking for the human. Standing on the engawa, he found a blur of orange zooming between some large bright green hedges while a tiny black furry animal sat patiently watching from a stepping stone.

Without preamble, Jaken approached the cat. "Rin, stop it right now! Go back to Kokomo, or you will make him loose his status!" The cat merely flicked its tail back and forth, casting one lazy eye in his direction then letting out a quiet purr.

"Jaken, come play with us!" The cat meowed its agreement and batted at his stubby leg with a paw.

"Be quiet, Rin! I will not!"

xox

She couldn't help but notice that everything was so much bigger from the ground, when one was so much smaller. Rin, who was only around eleven years old now, appeared like a giant. The cat gave a mental sigh, resting its head on its paws. Just two hours ago, she had been human, a lot taller and able to defend herself. Now, she was reduced to the pet of one of her species – granted, it was _Rin_ – and living under the roof of Lord Sesshoumaru ruler of the Western Realm.

Letting out a sound of both a meow and a snort, she watched as the girl hopped onto the floating planks in the koi pond. It was just as well, perhaps. She was planning on going home to the future for good, after saying goodbye to Miroku, Sango, Shippou and Kilala.

She wanted to go home back to the future to resume being Kagome Higurashi, age nineteen, and a freshman at Kyoto University on a scholarship of archery, majoring in Pharmaceutical Sciences and with a minor in Biology.

But no longer could this be. As far as Kagome knew, there was no way to reverse this mysterious spell, and no one could understand what the sounds coming from her feline throat were saying. _I was doomed from the beginning! First the Shikon Jewel and now a curse! Wouldn't it be ironic if this was just like Inuyasha turning human on the new moon...? Ha! I wish..._ She huffed, and when she inhaled again, caught the scent of dog.

_Oh, crap._

An aura flared from behind her, and she could sense the youki of a strong demon. She turned from her place on the cold granite slab, her black ears twitching as she heard the lord's breathing. Unsurprisingly, his golden gaze was directed solely at her tiny furred form, a question lurking behind it. _Does he know?_ _Maybe he'll help me!_ When he looked away to call Rin, her hopes were quickly dashed. _Or maybe he's just like Inuyasha; dense in the face of true magic._

Rin came over and scooped up the kitten into her arms, smiling widely at the tall dog demon before her. "Isashi will be your guard for the next few years. He will also be training you in combat; and when you are not physically or mentally training, he will play with you and..." Sesshoumaru paused to look at the cat, who stared right back.

"Miss Kitty, milord!"

"Perhaps something different, Rin. The cat demons might not take kindly to that name." In response, the child only shook her head emphatically. "Very well. Isashi will be playing with you and _Miss Kitty..._"

"Okay, Lord Sesshoumaru. Do you... want to pet the pretty kitty...?"

He obviously could not deny the child her wishes, as not a moment later, the dog demon was bent slightly at the waist, and one of his large clawed hands running over her short and smooth black fur. Rin smiled while her kitten and lord stared at each other, looking so similar with their heads tilted to the side.

And Kagome could not help herself either, because in mere seconds, she began to purr.

* * *

**Author's Note:** First chapter! I like this idea. I always see story summaries of Sesshoumaru getting turned into a dog, or whatnot, or Kagome being his slave but... well— how about Kagome turning into the polar opposite of the clichéd Sesshoumaru?

I'm sticking with the real script here, people!

Please review!


	3. ii: The Full Moon Calls

_**Standard disclaimer applies.**_

_**This is an A/N update: I reworked this chapter. It has been four years? I could not stand an OOC Sesshoumaru or a terribly OOC Kagome. I tell ya, that was self-inflicted pain and omg, it's why I never updated. **_

_**Reread if you'd like, or move on, but things in the following chapters will be… different, because of the changes.**_

_**(BTW, I was too lazy with Chapter one, but I realize it is quite terribly juvenile… but oh well!)**_

_**And I'm doing this to celebrate all of my RL hard work. 14 units! Wooooo college!**_

_**

* * *

**_

**Chapter Two  
The Full Moon Calls**

It was officially two days since she had come to the palace and no matter what she tried – whether it was trying to "speak" to the cat demon servants, pestering Jaken, or smearing ink on her paws and trying to _finger paint_ her real identity onto paper – she was always disrupted. No matter how hard she tried, one of the guards would pick her up and return her to Rin, promptly chastising the girl for letting the scruffy animal run away.

The first time she had been called a scruffy animal, she had hissed and clawed her way through the guard's delicate face. _Obviously a wimp_, Kagome thought sadistically as she stretched from her place on Rin's futon bed pillow. And only a half of an hour ago, she was returned once more, after leaving deep bleeding gashes on Jaken's back.

Added to this delightful experience, was the negative bonus that there was now a mysterious collar around her neck that she could sense was trying to hold her unknown powers at bay. _If I turned human, would it get bigger or would I choke to death? _Kagome thought idly as she tried to bite pointlessly through the metal links which formed her leash. _Really, I'm no dog. Do they think I'm stupid?_

Rin was sitting quietly at her desk, practicing her kanji on several extremely long scrolls of parchment, in the corner of the room. Occasionally the little girl would look up and around the room, shift on her cushion and then turn back to her work. She seemed to be waiting something or other. Her silent questions were answered when the fusuma of the outer room was slid open, and then the shoji pushed aside as well. Standing in all of his pristine glory was Sesshoumaru.

xox

"Lord Sesshoumaru, you are here! Will you be playing with me outside in the gardens?" Her eyes pleaded with her lord, but he shook his head no. Instantly, she latched her arms around his waist.

"Rin, there is to be a celebration tonight. You must prepare yourself, and go over your manners once more briefly." He paused to look at the cat resting patiently on the bed. "I do not believe you should bring your pet to this, as well. It might... cause problems for the guests," Sesshoumaru tried to announce as gently as possible the complications.

Apparently the cat understood perfectly as well, because its eyes widened slightly and the pupils dilated to extremely thin lines. It was so strange to see a cat with blue eyes, and a wide range of emotions. The demon lord did not have long to ponder as Rin burst into complaints.

"She'll be a good kitty, I promise! She's always good around me; please!" The underlying current in her words were, _The others don't like me, milord, because I'm human. She's my only company..._

With a barely veiled sigh, Sesshoumaru turned his head away, knowing he would be unable to look at the crestfallen expression spread across his ward's face at his next words. "No. I am sorry, Rin, but she can not. She would be a burden. This dinner is important. But if you would like, you may keep her in the garden with Isashi and get her immediately after you are dismissed from the dinner."

Now it was his ward's turn to sigh. "Yes, milord. Come on, Miss Kitty."

Rin moved away from the dog demon, and picked up the metal chain, walking slowly toward the engawa of her room leading out to the garden. Before unhooking the chain leash from the collar, the little girl kneeled on the hard wood and stared up to the opened skies. It was getting dark all ready, the clouds tainted reds, purples and varying shades of dark blue.

"I'm sorry, Miss Kitty. I know there isn't much to do around here, and I know you're lonely, but we don't have any other cats around here except for a few of the servants. And now, even though some of Lord Sesshoumaru's friends are cats too – I think – he said no." Rin heaved a very exaggerated sigh, quite possibly hoping her lord would take pity because she knew that he could hear her.

"You can stay here with Isashi. He's some kind of snake demon, but he's nice. You haven't scratched him yet, so maybe that's a sign from the kami. I have to go now. I'll bring you back some of my food." As she stood, she picked up the chain leash and turned to go back into her room. Kagome made a pitiful meowing sound once more as Rin disappeared for what would be the next four hours.

xox

_I can't believe this! I'm stuck here with this overgrown... snake. Humph. And he's boring too!_ All Kagome had was the company of Isashi and the distant sounds of tens of demons loitering in one of the large rooms, the smells of food wafting through the shoji and fusuma. There was no excitement in this garden tonight.

Isashi had expressly forbidden her to go wandering through the garden, by picking her up and placing her in his lap. _His lap!_ The girl-turned-cat twitched once more. Never in her life had she been in contact with a male in such a fashion. _I'm in his lap! My mother would be so ashamed of me._

"You, cat, are a burden," the demon guard's voice broke through her thoughts. In response, she hissed. He picked her up and held her to his face, their noses nearly touching. "Yes. But at least you're a cute burden."

_Maybe if I lick him, he'll drop me and let me go. Well..._ Without another thought, Kagome stuck her tongue out, swiping it on the demon's nose. He jumped, so surprised, that he let her go and both went falling to the ground. _And I almost failed high school? No kidding, I should get a degree in psychology._

Prancing around while Isashi still laid on his back from the shock, Kagome decided to make her get away. _Where to go, where to go..._ Heading westward on the grass of the garden, out into the moonlight seemed like a good option, so she followed her instinct. Thankful for once that her hair was such a dark black and that being a cat kept the black, Kagome was able to hide in the thickest of bushes.

She paused, waiting as she heard the snake grumble about the stupidity of average felines and walk away, presumably to tell someone she had escaped. _Oh boy! What if it's another of those stupid guards and they all gang up on me?_ Treading her tiny paws lightly, Kagome moved away from the bush below the cherry blossom tree and directly under the light beams of the full moon.

A gasp escaped her as she felt power rush through all of her limbs at once, and the scent of spring water surrounded her.

xox

Isashi grumbled as he hurried to tell his lord what the ball of fluff did: lick him purposefully to make its getaway. He sprinted through corridor after corridor, finally arriving at two extremely large fusuma able to easily fit his lord's true form through. A gasp for air erupted from his chest, trying to regain his balance and thoughts. What did one say when he lost his lord's adopted daughter's precious pet?

"L-Lord Sesshoumaru..." Isashi mumbled, fearing for his life at the very moment.

The demon lord heard the barely audible voice, and scented the fear and helplessness. He turned away from his conversing companions to his sergeant who was bowing piteously, and shivering from his fear.

"Isashi... you are supposed to be watching the cat." The underlying threat was again obvious.

"I- I know, milord, but it was... It tricked me! It played a cruel game and ran away into the bushes in the garden. I could not stop it. My deepest regrets, milord." The Indian cobra demon did not dare look up, preferring instead to continue cowering.

"Then you will stay here and keep Rin distracted, while I will find the creature. I will-" The dog demon tensed up when he felt a familiar quick pulsing of power. It shook through the entire room, every demon pausing when they felt the mysterious force.

Immediately, Sesshoumaru stood, and shot out of the room, headed for the source of power and the strangest scent of spring water rippling through the air, and an aura that was unmistakable.

xox

The party had been long and extremely frustrating. They were demeaned just because they all were technically younger than the gods which ruled over the earthlings.

"I am so tired of this endless cycle of unjust treatment!" Present seethed.

"Get over it. We have more important matters to go over. Where's the mirror?" Not wasting any time at all, the seven high beings ran into a nearby and very recognizable room.

"Destiny, what's going on? Find the girl!"

The little girl rushed to the mirror and waved her arms in a cryptic pattern, slurring her words, and anxiously awaiting an image. Just in time, the mirror lit up, and the tiny figure of a cat flitted across its surface. The kitten darted to a large bush and seemed to pause, then hesitantly crept out scanning its surroundings.

Before any could comment on the normalcy of this scene, the light from the full moon blazed upon the black fur and a burst of raw power swept through the gardens. The seven girls gasped simultaneously, worried beyond belief. When the light died down seconds later, it was an even bigger surprise. There, on the grass of Japan's Western Lord's garden, was the girl from back in the Well's clearing, wearing nothing but an expanded collar and her flowing waist-length black hair.

"Oh, dear."

"No, no, Clotho; I believe – for this situation – the appropriate term would be what humans say is... 'Shit.' "

xox

Sesshoumaru raced into the gardens the moment the light was beginning to die down, and what he saw appropriately froze him to where he stood. Struggling to sit up was a girl, and not just any girl. It was the young priestess from the future, Kagome, whom had been a primary warrior in the defeat of Naraku and who had also restored his left arm.

This was no doubt the oddest situation he had ever been in. Not only was she naked, but she was wearing that ridiculous collar he'd had made for Rin's pet. Before he could properly regain his composure, the dog demon was spotted in his mid-stride pose. The two beings in the garden stared awkwardly at each other for a few tense moments, and were promptly disrupted by a loud groan emanating from the priestess.

xox

Her eyes were wide in surprise at being human again. Then the giddy sensation flooded away as soon as she laid eyes on the demon lord. _Oh, this is really funny! Hahahaha… Yeah really really great - awesome - wonderful! Did I do something to deserve this?_

She groaned from her position on the ground and curled herself in a ball, wishing herself in another time period on another continent, where no one could possibly ever hear of the name Kagome Higurashi. What was the point in her life, really? _This really stinks. I know my life has been full of karmic injustice since I turned fifteen but c'mon!_ _This is ridiculous! _She was startled when the dog demon spoke, so coldly, like he had at all other previous encounters.

"...Priestess... what a surprise." His arched eyebrow only served to infuriate her more.

Not only had she mysteriously been turned into a cat, forced to be Rin's pet, degraded by those stinky soldiers of Sesshoumaru's, but now she was also standing in front of said leader of soldiers and in nothing but her skin and what she assumed was magically influenced cow-hide leather adorning her neck. This was possibly _the _single most embarrassing moment of her life.

"Get me some clothes, Sesshoumaru, or I'll take away the arm I gave back to you," she growled looking down at her hands, clenching onto the reeds of grass.

He turned away, not bothering to give a response, and walked through an open fusuma doorway near to Rin's. When he returned, he was holding an extremely dark blue kimono, appropriately decorated in silver crescent moons and wisps of silver thread made to look like trails of shooting stars. Around the collar were tiny golden cherry blossoms and silver stars with single threads obviously made to be the tails of shooting stars.

As she stood shakily to her feet, the demon lord held the outfit out, not once taking his eyes off her. This made her want to blush, but she stamped the feeling down. There were _definitely_ more pressing matters to attend to. She roughly snatched the garment away and slipped it on as fast as she could, before halting in her work, realizing that she had no tie or obi of any sort. Her head snapped up to glare directly at the face of the Lord of the West.

"Get me the ties, dog," she hissed, pressing the fabric closed as tightly as possible.

The only indication he gave of acknowledging her words as well as her fury, was the subtle gleam in his eyes that said this situation had turned into a joke for him. Those two golden eyes showed exactly what she expected of one of his brain capacity. ..._Or lack thereof,_ Kagome thought angrily.

He shook his head and turned away, expecting her to follow because she needed answers. She could not hold back the immense anger she felt at his blatant dismissal to give her what she wanted and more importantly, needed.

"Hey, bud, I'm talkin' to you!" Kagome snapped, ire rising easily after her worn-thin temper over the past days' treatment.

With a light sniff, he turned away and continued on his path, still silently expecting her to follow.

"Over-grown, pompous… Stubborn," she started quietly, knowing he'd hear every word, "_just like his brother!_"

Immediately his footsteps halted, incensed by words the dog demon felt unjustified and wholly untruthful. "Follow me, girl," he intoned, before continuing back quickly unto the room from whence he had produced the kimono. She huffed in response, but did as told, figuring his tight-lipped disposition wasn't personal and things would go more smoothly if she just got it over with.

The moment her eyes landed on Sesshoumaru, though, it was a close up view of a thick light blue and silver obi and an obijime. The untrained priestess stuttered in shock, wordlessly took both and muttered what sounded like a 'thank you'. Before she could start tying the obi in the way her mother had taught her, he was out another door obviously intent on walking away. In a heartbeat she was trailing him, simultaneously working at the ties and prepping the obijime just right, with an eerie feeling that it was going to be significant.

He carried on through various shoji, fusuma, engawa, and sectioned corridors until the sounds of merriment were audible to her hearing. Kagome hissed to herself, glaring half-heartedly at the back of the Great Lord with a Stick up His Unforgivably Frozen Butt. _What a jerk! Treats me like I'm dirt under his weird boot things._

"Rin will be glad to see you. You will sit on my left. Do not speak to anyone but her or myself, understood?" The demon lord refused to look at her opting instead to gaze at the door in contemplation.

Kagome nodded once, sapped of energy so quickly. In the absence of words, she waited as he opened the doors. Attention was immediately drawn to them; Sesshoumaru, a stiff walking board and Kagome, clutching the kimono tighter to herself as if that would keep the odd stares away. None dared to speak, she noticed, shifts in the demonic auras flaring around the room. Idly she thought it had to do with the look reminiscent of anger on the dog demon lord's face, or maybe it was common courtesy, but either way, it was unnerving.

The path to the large table in the middle of the room was cleared slowly, the glowing eyes of everyone else in the room reflecting the many candles illuminating the area. A sense of hostility permeated the air when a few demons realized it was another human in their midst, and this one a priestess of impressive power, though Kagome would not have said so herself. Easing her aching body down onto the cushion to the left of Sesshoumaru at the head of the table made her anxious and concerned when there was no sound at all, even the whispers of silk on wood surrounding them. She heaved a sigh, which in turn garnered a glare from who she had silently deemed as "Freezer Butt."

"Act civilized, girl," he sneered down at her, and she glared back.

"Whatever," Kagome rolled her eyes.

"Behave. Rin is younger and acts more appropriately" the demon lord retorted without sparing her another glance. "Come, sit and eat, everyone," he called lightly, knowing most every demon in the room had heard their conversation and was dreading the gossip.

Obediently, everyone turned to the low-rise table and sat at an eating placement, as if it had all been planned out, and by pre-judgment of Lord Freezer Butt, it was. As soon as every being was contentedly settled into their seats, a flurry of servants came in delicately moving about the guests and putting down large adorned trays of food. _So maybe the smells weren't coming from here, but rather the kitchen. I give my props to the chef of the house._ Kagome sniffed softly hoping not to be caught in the act, however subtle it was. She vaguely noticed that it had gone silent, and she turned to look at everyone else.

To her slight horror, the demons around the table were either looking at her or who she knew was on her right side. Kagome rotated her head, afraid of what she might find and what she did made her jaw slack an inch more than its already half-inch slacking state. Her eyes widened almost unnoticeably as they connected with vivid, and obviously mocking, golden eyes. She barely realized that a clawed finger was pushing her chin upward.

"Staring with mouth agape is impolite."

It was an instant reaction. The young woman clenched her teeth, sucking in a breath in order to not hit the demon as she instinctively did to Inuyasha in the past. "I was not gawking at you, pretty boy," she hissed.

Sesshoumaru narrowed his eyes; the foreign words and the human's tone implied an insult. He swallowed discreetly before speaking. "Eat, everyone, and be merry, for this is great occasion to celebrate! To the mid-Summer's full moon, marking the start of the great annual harvest." He picked up a bowl of what looked like miso soup and brought it to his lips, never once taking his gaze from hers. The din of those around them seemed to pulse and dull, pushed into the back of their minds as they stared, wary of the other.

Blinking quickly when she realized what she had been doing, Kagome followed suit of the other guests trying extremely hard not to fidget while eating, but maintaining a dignified air of proper etiquette. It was, no doubt, difficult, even had she owned four arms, because the unreceptive guests still glared at her, reluctantly acknowledging where she sat, as well as the haughty looks which the demon lord at her side sent her throughout the evening.

Absently, she noticed the little human girl at her side talking amicably with the elderly demon at her other side. Rin was smiling excitedly, while the demon graced the child with a tiny grin as each sentence passed. While she chattered on, unbeknownst to the priestess and her lord, she was paying every bit of attention to their actions.

That was certainly a sight to behold.

xox

"What are we going to do?"

"Well it's definitely not going to be telling our mothers. At least we know that she changes back into a human when there is full moon light. That is a positive thing," Lachesis whispered solemnly.

"Yeah... I suppose. It is a wonder, though, when she changes back to a cat; I mean, honestly, I don't think we are as lucky as we hope."

Past turned a glare onto her younger sister, Present. "Optimism is the key, _sister_! So... be quiet!"

In response, the younger deity huffed and stuck her nose into the air. No one else said anything, trying to appease their anger. "What will we do until then? Send a guardian angel down?" She snorted in disdain.

"This is a joke! No – pun? – intended. What would that little girl think if she had a real angel following her? And the cat! I will not even speak on the matter. Let us return to the festivities now, and think of only positive things."

"You have a way with words, dear cousin," with a roll of her eyes, Past turned to look through one of the open archways.

"Let's go before the _adults_ begin to fret."

One by one, the female deities filed slowly out of the circular room, pondering the latest turn in the haphazard mess of historical truth and fiction which they had made the world.

* * *

**Author's Note: **Hmm, a page shorter than I really wanted. I had not originally finished this, nor started chapter three, yet. Haha. I'm a loser.

THANK YOU ALL FOR THE REVIEWS. I LOVE YOU ALL TILL DEATH. MUAH.

ahahaha.

Oh, ps, updates are on my profile. I'll be... changing that thing so it really tells the story status and stuffles. kay, darlings?

ja!

_******A/N edit**_: Ummm I think this chapter is even shorter now. I changed a lot... but yet not. I'm extremely lazy. Anyone who knows me would attest.. As I mentioned at the beginning of the chapter, college. Yay. Goals. Yay. Anyway, I'm still reworking chapter 3, which I haven't given youz peeps in the first place…. Oooh um….

**Well keep a look out for updates on my profile **since… no Author's Notes 'chapters'.. not even the temporary ones, are allowed. Whoever ratted on the writers should be ashamed…


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